2019 ALBUM OF THE YEAR
So here is the thing, I like a certain type of music, and though my musical taste has greatly expanded over the last year, These are my favorite albums and EPs of 2019. You’ll find albums no one else included on their year end lists, but you’ll also find albums that EVERYONE has already written about. Ask anyone else and they’ll give you a different list. it’s impossible to set my bias aside. It’s also impossible to include everyone on this list, there are a lot of truly amazing albums I feel bad for leaving off these lists. I listened to over two-hundred albums/EPs from 2019 and relistened to all of them again over the last couple months.All that said, here are my favorite albums and EPs of 2019. Tell me why I’m wrong and what I missed in the comments.
#20 Self-Evident - Lost Inside The Machinery
A little screamy, a little melodic, and all rock, Self-Evident has a sound all their own. Pulling influences from classic rock, post-grunge, and a bit of prog-rock, “Lost Inside the Machinery” refuses to be classified as any of the alt-rock subgenres. Switching between clean beautiful melodic guitar lines to hard chugging distortion with in the same song, each track feels like it’s gradually revealing another gritty and dramatic piece of the larger story.
Favorite tracks: Lost Inside the Machinery; The Creeper; The Cutter
#19 Katy Vernon - Suit Of Hearts
Never did melancholy sound so cheerful, but Katy Vernon’s “Suit of Hearts” looks on the upside of being sad. I love the title track “Suit of Hearts” for it’s clever dissection of how depression isn’t about always feeling depressed and how Katy spins the lyric “You’re not broken, just a little rearranged.“ Typically known as a cheerful instrument, Katy Vernon manages to make the Ukulele have an incredible depth of emotion. The entire album is full of feelings, both positive and negative; “Pink Cloud” is perhaps the happiest, poppiest song I have ever heard. “Suit of Hearts” even made me like a disco song, “Latest Disaster,” something very few artists have managed to do.
Favorite tracks: Suit of Hearts; Pink Clouds; Latest Disaster
#18 Coyote Kid – Skeleton Man
A gritty and imaginative concept album that is like listening to a rock n roll Western, “The Skeleton Man” is a fun, adventure concept album. One of the fullest band sounds on this list, Coyote Kid features brass, guitars, percussion, and male and female lead vocals. I don’t want to go into too much detail and spoil the story (because yes, I feel like it’s an album that can be spoiled), but from what I gather it’s a tale of love, death, and revenge. Coyote Kid (formally Marah in the Mainsail) always brings inventive and high-concept albums that never disappoint.
Favorite tracks: Femme Fatale; Tough Kids; Undertaker
#17 Oyster World – Durn Fool
The other day I was talking to a friend about how my favorite style of music is songs that sound like they are so out of control and the band is so loose that it feels like it will all fall apart at any second, that feeling is “Durn Fool.” The guitars are frenzied, the drums are lax, and the vocals are dynamic, and I love it. From the instrumental intro track “World Anthem” to the cowboy influenced final track “Them Good Ol’ Funktry Blues,” this album is chaotic and peculiar fun. With titles like “Pb’n’cheez,” “Egg Salad,” and “Boo Hoo” it is an album that will make you ask a lot of questions, but not make the answers obvious. Just sit back, hold on tight, and enjoy the awesome ride that is “Durn Fool.”
Favorite tracks: Widow; Relatable Content; Potassium
#16 Ka Lia Universe – So Good
“So Good” is so good! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) Pop/R&B artist Ka Lia Universe just started making music again and has seen her career skyrocket. Obviously talented, Ka Lia has an amazing voice and an infectiously positive attitude that shows she’ll go far. Lyrically the album switches between Hmong and English, but most of what I understand is a delightful mix of love slow jam ballads and danceable hip-hop collabs. Ka Lia Universe is definitely an artist to watch for going into the new decade.
Favorite tracks: Dej Txias; Cosmo; Come Thru
#15 Sass – Chew Toy
Indie-alt-rock band Sass effortlessly capture the Millennial experience on “Chew Toy.” I personally interovertedly empathize with “Role Model,” especially the latter half of the song when it switches between clean and distorted guitars. Relationships are a common go to subject matter. The title track “Chew Toy” is about being taken advantage of in a romantic relationship; impressively capturing the nuance of emotions in their sound that go along with a regrettable relationship. “Chew Toy” is intelligence mix with loud guitars riffs and emotive vocal harmonies.
Favorite tracks: Role Model; 30 Minutes; Nice Things
#14 Goodnight Gorillas – Splash!
“Splash!” feels like a collection of melodramatic theater songs, in the best way possible, and at times reminds me of pop-punk with a piano. One of my favorite songs is “Three Words,” a hilariously over dramatic ditty about the three words that absolutely destroy Millennials, “the wifi’s out.” “Splash!” is a reminder to not take yourself so seriously, and just have fun.
Favorite tracks: Three Words; Jobs, Jobs, Jobs; Millions
#13 Last Import – Last Import
Spunky alt-pop-rock band Last Import ferociously tears through their self-titled album with an engaging mix of palm muting, distortion, and loud-quiet dynamics. Truly hooky guitar lines weave throughout the album, but I think my favorite is on “Hot Damn.” Full of biting wit, the best quip in my opinion comes on “Stay Rad. Ponyboy” when they sing “You can lead a horse to water, but it can’t even swim,” displaying the tongue in cheek song writing approach found on most of “Last Import.” Make sure to check out this album, it’s strikes a excellent balance between aggressive instruments and sarcasm.
Favorite tracks: (Fast Times At) Space Mountain; Money; 7 Lives
#12 A Sunken Ship Irony – Ant, I
Imagination, gang vocals, and clean guitars, “Ant, I” falls somewhere between folk and indie-rock/punk. Channeling the creativity of a Dungeons & Dragons’ dungeon master, A Sunken Ship Irony’s songs are about monsters, mages, and doing battle. Every time I listen through “Ant, I” I am reminded of the first times I heard Atom and His Package back in the early 2000s, both have the ability to tell wild and complete stories with their songs. There are so many memorable lines from this album, but I think my favorite is the entire first verse from “Yes, I’ve Been Reading Some Camus” which I don’t have room to quote, but is about futility, and truth and the human brain.
Favorite tracks: Burn; Another Song About Monsters (Act I); King of the Castle (The One Where Everybody Dies at the End)
#11 Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)
This album was everywhere in 2019. Songs from “Cuz I Love You” were literally played on every radio station in the Twin Cities and at times it felt inescapable, but fortunately, it is such a great album that it wasn’t ever a bad thing. There is a reason Lizzo is taking over the world. Personally, I prefer the deluxe edition, it is one of the few deluxe editions I’ve listened to that doesn’t feel bloated or like it includes a lot of filler tracks. Lizzo’s star is only rising and I’m excited to see how high she’ll go.
Favorite tracks: Truth Hurts; Juice; Like a Girl
#10 The Florists - Prayer Starter
“Prayer Starter” is weird and spastic and I love every minute of it. Unpredictable and genre bending the post-punkish album also includes the brash rap track “Churches” featuring Gonkama and Roscoe Flowers, and the following track, “Prayer Starter,” is a near instrumental featuring audio samples for the only lyrics on the song. The Florists confront cultural norms ranging from ideas on gender to the sitcom Friends on “Prayer Starter.” It’s noisy, it’s sometimes challenging, and it’s absolutely worth giving a listen if you haven’t yet.
Favorite tracks: Bury Your Heart; Sleeper Hit; Everybody’s Somebody Else
#9 Student 1 – Upprclssmn
With bars for days, Student 1 uses his wit to cut through the bullshit that makes up society and the music industry, especially on the tracks “Facade” and “Metaphors.” Student 1 shows his range by rapping and singing over both minimal beats and acoustic guitar on “Upprclssmn.” My favorite part about the album is Student 1’s lyrically delivery, it’s typically chill and seems effortless even while tearing down the system he’s rapping about, like the answer was obvious the whole time, you just weren’t paying attention before.
Favorite tracks: Twenty-Twenty; Textbook Interlude; Metaphors
#8 Ahem – Try Again
The fuzzy alt-pop version of a childhood sugar buzz, “Try Again” is the sound of adolescence. The best way to describe this album and its sound is fun. “Try Again” really sounds like a bunch of friends getting together and having fun recording an album. There are moments that are nostalgic, bittersweet, and trying to figure out who you are in the world, but all of it is delivered through crashing drums and distorted guitars and mostly upbeat and cheer vocal performance. It would be difficult to not feel good after listening to “Try Again.”
Favorite tracks: Halloween; Sideways; Remote Control
#7 K.Raydio and Shrimpnose - …And the World Weeps
Beauty with a bite, Shrimpnose mixes up an incredible soundscape for K.Raydio to sing and rap over. K.Raydio has a silky smooth voice with a razors edge wit and lyrics. The output of these two in 2019 is impressive, besides “…And the World Weeps” Shrimpnose also put out “Hayward,” a full length album of beats, and K.Raydio put out a beats album of their own, “Beat Tape? Vol. 1,” as well as their FIVE EPs. It’s one thing to put out that much music, but the quality of it all has been on another level.
Favorite tracks: Cabernet; Fairytale; Molasses
#6 Lunch Duchess – Crying for Fun
“Crying for Fun” is fun! This album in clever with depth that is subtly hidden underneath catchy pop hooks. It’s easy to sing along to “Better” without realizing that Katharine Seggerman is actually talking about wanting better sex for women, and for some reason singing on the toilet. The “la la”s and harmonies will draw you in and before you know it you’re singing along about snot and allergies on “Body.” These songs will be in your head for days.
Favorite tracks: Better; Body; Cry, Pt. II
#5 Nur-D – Songs About Stuff
Nur-D’s references might be even too nerdy for me to catch them all. “Songs About Stuff” brings the catchiest beats with exceptional lyrical delivery referencing everything in nerd pop culture, including but not limited to: Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, Pro-Wrestling, and way more that I’m sure I miss. It’s not all Nur-D being nerdy however, “You Got Me,” “Rebecca,” “Honest,” and “Sincerely Yours” all have a lot of soul and even more heart, even if sometimes it’s being broken. Oh yeah, then there is “The Epilouge,” which continues the story of the song “the Devil Went Down to Georgia.” 2020 looks to be even bigger for Nur-D and we are excited to see what comes next for them.
Favorite tracks: 20 Cha; Black Wizard Wave; Honest
#4 J.S. Ondara – Tales of America
“Tales of America” is an absolutely beautiful album, stacked with Folk/Americana tunes. J.S. Ondara’s vocals are superb, from his falsetto at the end of “Torch Song” to the vibrato on “Days Of Insanity.” The instrumentals are for the most part minimal, typically just an acoustic guitar and basic percussion. It’s easy to see why this album earned a Grammy nomination.
Favorite tracks: Master O’Connor; Torch Song; American Dream
#3 Careful Gaze – You Too Will Rest
Alternative-rock band Careful Gaze dropped one hell of a powerful album on us earlier this year. “You Too Will Rest” holds up a mirror to society and then provides comforting shoulder to all those who were shunned by the same society. Spread throughout the album are three “2k” songs that connect and tell a story of rising up. The album is hard hitting and is the album I turn to when I need to blast some music and drown out all the hate in the world.
Favorite tracks: Glue; Rainbows; Highways, Sideways
#2 VIAL – Grow Up
VIAL’s sound on “Grow Up” is exciting, full of distorted guitars and bass, sweet and aggressive vocals, and subtle drum parts that hold it all down. Aptly titled, the entire album deals with a wide range of topics, from break ups to gatekeeping in the DIY community. Shorter than some EPs, “Grow Up” packs a compact punch, with every track feeling like a hit with absolutely no filler.
Favorite tracks: Rough; DIY; Grow Up
#1 Joe Bartel – Executive Dysfunction
Dark and frenetic, this was my go to album after it dropped in May. Joe Bartel managed to balance weariness and optimism in an incredible way. I think if I needed to sum up the entire album in one quote it would be from “Abattoir,” “Fuck ‘em, bet it all on black and lets roll the dice.” With multiple references to death, murder, bile, blood, a crumbling society, and love; and how these ideas are all woven together is what made this album a delight.
Favorite tracks: Wedding Planning; Bustin’ Outta Here; Ziggurat
Since it’s Winter in Minnesota, here are a few other things you can buy because it’s cold outside:
Reviews by: Andrew Perrizo
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